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Today's Featured Biography
Preston Kirk
I still think of myself as a "Renaissance Man," but my Waco TX roots belie that. Still, as a journalist-PR consultant, actor, poet, tennis player, twin, hiker and motorcyclist, I may come closer to a contemporary vision of such a person than his friends realize.
I'm still living, still learning. Since LaVega H.S., I've had 13 jobs, about as many near-death experiences, traveled to 12 nations. My wife (45 years in Aug. 2013) is the real root of my success -- thanks to her encouragement, patience, love and money mangmt skills. (Creative types should only get allowances.) Ronda Dale Massey is a Midway/Woodway TX girl I met at Baylor University -- introduced by her (then) boyfriend, Daniel Bounds, a former LaVega classmate.
I was born in Corpus Christi, grew up in Waco and Bellmead; lived in Leesville LA (Army), Denton, Arlington & Waco (colleges); Houston (8 yrs.), Richardson, TX, 20 yrs.; Jefferson (owned a B&B, 2 yrs.); Little Hope TX (running Trammel Crow's Mill Creek Farm home, 1 yr.); Spicewood TX on Lake Travis near Austin since May '99. Slow down? Not hardly. I still love motorcycling, water skiing, outdoors, poetry and returned to the stage -- Hill Country Community Theatre -- after a 33-yr. absence. I studied drama at N. TX & Baylor for 3.5 years; switched to journalism. (Whew!) What an exciting living.
Moved into PR in the mid-70s, Kirk PR since '87, but still write for periodicals. Once reporting gets in the blood.... I'm still kind of an over-achiever, but age has a way of slowing things down -- tennis game to thought processes.
The "official" bio (for clients) fills in some gaps: 44 years exp. in journalism and PR consulting. Accredited (APR) in '80. Specialize in marketing-oriented counsel; emphasis on media & investor relations, crisis PR, special events. Baylor grad, began as editor of the Waco Lodestar; reporter for Galveston Daily News; assist. bureau mgr., United Press International/Houston. Covered medical transplants, Apollo space shots, trials of Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) & Dr. Timothy Leary (LSD).
A founding editor of Houston Business Journal ('71); Texas Business Magazine ('76). Wrote business column for Muse Air Monthly ('83-84). U.S. Small Business Admin. recognized my coverage in '73. Investigative reporting led to a statewide probe of fraudulent land syndications in '74. Named an Outstanding Young Texan in 1976. Founding editor, DOLLAR DYNAMICS newsletter '89-95).
Ronda Dale and I work on numerous film sets as extras; finally got an agent in 2005, which has gotten us modeling and commercial gigs. We've worked on 26 films in the past 8 years and I've appeared in 26 stage productions since 2000. I've come a long way since portraying "Shockey" in the "Hoosier Schoolmaster" in the 11th grade and entertaining at Six Flags over Texas in Arlington, TX in the mid-'60s.
In June '06, I had a speaking role in "Six Gun" shot at Willieville ("Luck, TX") in nearby Spicewood. On stage in Dec. '07, I portrayed a cowboy poet in a comedy set in "Spitwhistle, TX. We recently did a photo shoot in Austin for Enspire Learning that included greenscreen work. I was in a scene on "Gary the Tennis Coach." (Randy Quaid stars.) In 5/06, we were in a scene on Burnt Orange Productions' "Elvis and Annabelle" shoot in Pflugerville. (Mary Steenburgen stars.)
I was seen as a concentration camp prisoner in the short film "Bending Light," and we portrayed 1880s townfolk in the direct-to-video horror flick "After Sundown." (Barnholtz/Lions Gate released it direct to video in 7/06.) A wacky psychologist in the indie flick "Wake Up, Herbert." And many more, including TV series, "Swingtown," "Friday Night Lights," and "My Generation (2010), etc.
I've finished 24th stage production since 2000 -- "Sgt. Carlino" in "Wait Until Dark" at the Hill Country Theatre, being the latest in Oct. 2011. Ronda Dale appeared in "Steel Magnolias" at the Hill Country Community Theatre. We have both worked recently on the ABC-TV series "The Lying Game" shooting in Austin. And four movies on which we've worked -- "Bernie," "Deep in the Heart," "Fireflies in the Garden" and "When Angels Sing," have been released since fall of 2011. That makes six TV series or pilots on which we've been background actors, including this year's ABC TV series pilot "Killer Women," about a female Texas Ranger.
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